Two-way voice and voice over IP receivers for alarm systems

ABSTRACT

Security systems typically communicate with alarm monitoring centers using a telephone connection. The present invention offers a system and technique for monitoring a security system connected using a Voice-over-IP connection, in real time, and alerting the owner of the security system, or the alarm-monitoring center, when the connection is broken. This alert can be used, for example, to issue a telephone call to the police, informing them of the breach of line integrity and possible compromise of the premise. In addition, the present invention allows for one-way or two-way voice communication between the alarm panel and an alarm operator and/or a 3 rd  party. Such voice communication helps the alarm operator and/or 3 rd  party to determine whether an alarm is a real alarm or a possible false alarm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is also a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) ofco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/462,708 filed on Jun. 17,2003 and incorporated herein by reference. The present application isalso a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/840,280 filed on May 7, 2004, and incorporated herein byreference. The present application is also a Continuation-In-Part (CIP)of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/861,790, filed on Jun. 7, 2004,and incorporated herein by reference. The present application alsoclaims priority from Provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No.60/651,662 filed on Feb. 11, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference.The present application is also a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/226,857 filed on Sept. 14, 2005 and incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates towards alarm and security systemmonitoring. In particular, the present invention is directed toward amechanism, system, and method for creating a private Voice-over-IP(VoIP) network specially suited for the monitoring of security systemsalarms, fire alarms, and the like) and other types of communications,and particularly, a method and apparatus for enabling two-way voicecommunications (or one-way listening) alarm features in a VoIP alarmenvironment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

More and more consumers are switching to Voice-over-IP (VoIP) fortelephone service, such as Vonage™ or AT&T CallVantage™. FIG. 4 is ablock diagram of a typical Voice over IP (VoIP) system. In the system ofFIG. 4, a telephone 210, which may comprise a standard analog POTS(Plain Old Telephone Service) telephone, is coupled to a Voice over IPadapter, such as the LINKSYS® RT31P2, popularly used by Vonage™ andother VoIP providers. Note that telephone 210 may also comprise a “soft”telephone, which may be implemented through a user's computer or thelike

VoIP adapter 220 converts analog signals from telephone 210 into digitalsignals and transmits them over broadband Internet link 230. BroadbandInternet link 230 may comprise a connection through a cable modem, DSL,fiber optic, T2, or other high-speed connection. Other connections, suchas satellite uplinks may work, with some limited success. Dialup andother slow-speed connections may not work at all. Digitized signals fromVoIP adapter 220 are received at servers at Voice-over-IP serviceprovider 240, which may comprise Vonage™ or other VoIP telephonecompany. The digital signals are converted back to analog, and the callthen routed to a call recipient 250 over an analog POTS line (if therecipient is not a VoIP subscriber) or sent digitally to the subscribervia the Internet in a similar manner in which the call was received.

These VoIP telephone companies have been very successful in providing adigital communications service which accurately emulates standard analogPOTS service. Users can plug in existing analog telephones and eventelephone systems and operate the equipment in a manner identical toPOTS service, with no perceived artifacts or effects. However, usershave reported problems when attempting to use VoIP with fax machines,modems, credit card “swipe” machines, and alarm systems.

Voice-over-IP service may impact the reliability of a security (alarm)system by interfering with its ability to report alarms to a consumer'smonitoring station. Although Voice-over-IP services are excellent forvoice communication, they may not be suited for transmitting alarmsystem data to an alarm monitoring company. As a result, many alarmmonitoring companies simply do not accept customers who useVoice-over-IP. Some consumers report that their alarm systems will workwith VoIP, while others have difficulty. On-line forums as such as theVonage™ on-line forum have entire discussion forums related to suchconsumer difficulties. Thus, using an alarm system with VOIP service isa recognized problem in the art.

Prior Art security systems such as alarm, fire, and other system,typically dial a telephone number to report security events to a centralstation. Many owners of security systems also use Voice-over-IP (VoIP)services, such as Vonage™ VoIP or the like, which create a virtual phonenetwork on top of broadband Internet technology. When an alarm system isused in conjunction with a typical Voice-over-IP service, the securitysystem will dial a standard telephone number corresponding to thecustomer's alarm monitoring service. The Voice-over-IP service, in turn,will route this “virtual” phone call onto a standard telephone line, andre-dial the originally intended telephone number, thereby connecting thecall.

Many users of alarm systems, credit card swipe machines, and the like,report problems when attempting to use such hardware with VoIP systems.The apparatus may dial the wrong number, or the system might not providethe proper bandwidth or signal clarity to properly send the necessarysignals to the central station or dialed number. Similar problems canoccur when using Prior Art fax machines and other communications devices(e.g., 56K dialup modems and the like) with VoIP networks.

These types of errors may occur due to multiple layers of translationback and forth between digital (Internet technology), and analog(telephone) system. As a result, alarm and other types of signals arefrequently incorrectly received. For the VoIP provider, such concernsare important if the VoIP service is to be marketed as a replacement forstandard POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines. One method ofovercoming this problem has been to provide higher bandwidth linesspecifically for such applications (e.g., dedicated fax line). However,such higher bandwidth lines require a consistently robust broadbandconnection and can slow down other users on the broadband connection.Thus, an alternative solution to such brute force techniques is requiredin the art.

In addition, even if an alarm system can be made to work with anexisting VoIP telephone network, the system suffers from the sameproblem as Prior Art dialup service. Namely, when the alarm dials out,it seizes the phone line, making it impossible for the consumer to callout at the same time. In an emergency or even in the event of a falsealarm, this can be frustrating or even dangerous. If the alarm is tryingto dial out, and the consumer is trying to contact 911, each may end upblocking the other. The alarm will continue to try dialing out, whichmay in turn continue to block the consumer's repeated attempts to dial.In a false alarm scenario (where the consumer is trying to cancel thealarm) this may be merely frustrating. In a medical or other emergency,it may be disastrous.

Prior Art alarm systems are also limited in many regards in that byusing dialup communications, they cannot be monitored in real time. If aburglar disables an alarm system, the alarm company may have no way ofknowing the system is off-line. Many alarm systems are programmed todial up the monitoring station once a day (or at another periodicinterval) to report system status. If the status call is not receivedover a period of time, the consumer may be contacted to inform themtheir alarm is not operating properly. In practice, this may mean that24 hours or more may elapse before a malfunctioning or disabled alarm isdetected and reported.

Another problem with Prior Art alarm systems, which is not widelyreported is that they are ridiculously easy to defeat. A burglar needonly disconnect the POTS phone lines at the residence to prevent thesystem from reporting a break-in or other alarm. Most phone lines areconveniently located at the side of house and pass through a NetworkInterface Box (NIB). The phone lines may be disconnected easily at thebox (by unplugging the RJ-11 jacks) or by simply cutting the wires. Onceinside, the burglar can quickly disarm the alarm siren (e.g., by rippingit from the wall or disconnecting the wires) so that neighbors are notalerted.

Some alarm companies have tried to overcome this limitation by usingwireless communications as the uplink for the alarm system. Such systemsare fairly expensive and require that wireless service be available inthe area. Wireless signals are subject, however, to electronic jammingand other forms of defeat (e.g., remove antenna). Moreover, manywireless systems also use the periodic status reporting technique andthus a disabled alarm may not be detected for hours or days.

Another drawback of Prior Art alarm systems is the inability of theconsumer to perform remote self-monitoring of system status or remotelyarm the system. The systems are generally programmed to only dial thealarm company and/or only the alarm company may dial into the system,the consumer has no idea what the status of the system is, other thanwhat is reported verbally by the alarm company. Alarm systems arebasically computer systems, and it would be advantageous if a consumercould access their alarm system and/or be advised of the status of theiralarm system via telephone, computer, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a mechanism for placing an alarm receiver (atsecurity system central station) directly onto a private Voice-over-IPnetwork shared by the customer, thereby eliminating the need for aVoice-over-IP system to re-dial the central station over a standardtelephone line. Because both the security system and the alarm receiverare on the same Voice-over-IP network, and because neither end isconnected to a standard telephone line (nor do alarm signals ever passover standard telephone lines), errors are reduced dramatically, andoverall response time is improved.

In addition, security systems typically offer a feature to allow theirowners to call the security system, and using touchtones (e.g., dualtone multiple frequency, or DTMF) or other mechanisms, allow them toarm, disarm, or listen-in to their security system. The presentinvention circumvents the standard telephone system, thereby precludingthis form of dial-in access. To address this, another embodiment of thisinvention designates a standard telephone number to become the “OutsideAccess Point” (OAP) for an alarm system. By dialing the OAP from aregular telephone, the present invention will route the call onto theprivate Voice-over-IP network, and subsequently to the security system.In this manner, alarm reporting can be performed over the more reliableVoice-over-IP network, while owner dial-in (for reasons of arming,disarming, listen-in, and the like) can be performed with a standardtelephone.

Security systems also typically include functions to dial a standardtelephone number or pager to notify the owner of a security event, afterit has been reported to an alarm central station. In another embodimentof the present invention, a “virtual phone number” in the Voice-over-IPnetwork can be dialed by the alarm system, which will be routed to thestandard telephone network and a real phone number dialed, in order toengage in this owner reporting. In this manner, security events can bereported to the alarm central station using the more reliableVoice-over-IP network, and subsequently, the owner of the securitysystem can be notified via phone call of the event using pre-recordedmessages or pager notifications, sent over a standard telephone line.

Alarm Broadband Network™ by NextAlarm™ was built to solve theseproblems. Alarm Broadband Network™ allows customers to enjoy thebenefits and cost savings of Voice-over-IP service, while still allowingtheir alarm systems to accurately communicate with our monitoringcenters.

Alarm Broadband Network™ operates over a standard Cable Modem or DSLBroadband (or other) Internet connection, and works with any alarmsystem capable of sending signals using the Contact ID or other format(including the Abbra Professional Series by NextAlarm™).

Alarm Broadband Network requires no changes to an existing alarm system,other than a one-time purchase of the ATA Broadband Modem fromNextAlarm™ or other source. The consumer simply plugs the BroadbandModem into their home network, and plug their alarm panel into the modem(rather than into a regular telephone line), and NextAlarm™ almostimmediately begins monitoring the consumer security system overBroadband. There may be no additional monthly service fees associatedwith Alarm Broadband Network™. Alarm Broadband Network™ requires nochanges to a consumer's existing alarm system, other than a one-timepurchase of the ATA Voice-over-IP adapter.

Alarm Broadband Network™ offers Line Security, a new security measurenot available with standard telephone line hookups. Servers are inconstant communication with the Broadband Modems installed at aconsumer's home or business. If the servers lose contact with thedevice, an E-Notify service can alert the consumer in a matter ofminutes. This extra security measure is only possible through thealways-on, always-connected nature of Alarm Broadband Network. Incontrast, in Prior Art dial-up alarms, signal loss might not be detectedfor hours or even days, if at all.

With Alarm Broadband Network™, when the consumer alarm system places acall to the central station, it does not go through the consumer'sVoice-over-IP service. Alarm Broadband Network™ operates directlythrough the consumer's Broadband Internet Connection, and does not usethe consumer's Voice-over-IP service. It runs alongside, rather thanthrough, a consumer's Vonage, AT&T CallVantage, or other Voice-over-IPservice.

If the consumer does not have Voice-over-IP service, they can still useAlarm Broadband Network™, so long as the consumer has Broadband Internetor other Internet connection. Even for customers who have regulartelephone lines, Alarm Broadband Network™ offers the additionalconvenience of event reporting (such as opens and closes) in real-timewithout seizing a consumer's telephone line. In addition, AlarmBroadband Network™ offers the additional protection of Line Security,not available with standard telephone hookups.

It is unreliable to send alarm signals through a Voice-over-IP provider.When a consumer's alarm system tries to transmit a signal through aconsumer's Voice-over-IP telephone service, it is handled like any othervoice phone-call in the following fashion. A hardware device (VOIPModem) at a consumer's location captures the audio from a consumer'spanel and translates it into data. This data is sent over BroadbandInternet to servers operated by a consumer's Voice-over-IP provider. Aconsumer's Voice-over-IP provider then re-transmits this data to aregional data center located in the city the consumer is dialing (wherea consumer's alarm monitoring company resides). The regional data centerwill “pick up” a standard telephone line in the destination city, anddial a consumer's alarm monitoring company. Once the alarm-monitoringcenter answers the call, a consumer's Voice-over-IP company continues tobe a middleman for the entire alarm-reporting event.

In the standard Voice-over-IP scenario, the data sent by a securitysystem goes through so many “hops”, and is translated back and forthbetween Internet data and audio so many times, that the reliability ofthe conversation is reduced to almost zero. The Alarm Broadband Networkof the present invention is better as it handles alarm event reportingin the following manner. The Broadband Modem at a consumer locationcaptures audio from an alarm panel and translates it into data. Thisdata is sent over Broadband Internet to a server such as a NextAlarm™Alarm Broadband Network™ server. NextAlarm™ Alarm Broadband Network™servers immediately hand this data over to alarm monitoring equipment,with no further re-transmission necessary.

The main reason why the Alarm Broadband Network™ is more reliable, isthat there is that no re-transmission of the consumer alarm panel'sinformation back out to a standard telephone line is required. Once itis transmitted from a consumer's home or business to the Alarm BroadbandNetwork™, the alarm signal data is received by, and immediatelyprocessed by a NextAlarm™ server.

The present invention is an extension of the invention set forth inapplicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/226,857, filed onSept. 14, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference.

As noted above, in Application Ser. No. 11/226,857, an alarm receiver isbuilt directly into the server-end of a Voice-over-IP Network, allowingdramatically improved reliability of alarm signal receiving whentransmitted over the Internet (using Voice-over-IP equipment).

In the present invention this scenario is extended as follows. Somealarm panels, after transmitting an alarm signal (such as “holdup”,“glass break”, “exterior violation”, and the like), can send anadditional “two-way voice” signal to the central station. When thisoccurs, if the central station is so equipped, then the alarm panel willenter “speakerphone” mode, whereby an operator at the central stationcan listen in to the room where the alarm panel is located, andoptionally engage in conversation with persons in the alarm-monitoredpremise. Such a feature allows an alarm monitoring company to quicklydetermine whether a false alarm has been triggered, whether medical helpis needed, a real break-in has occurred, or the like. For example, if afalse alarm has been triggered, the homeowner can converse with themonitoring station and provide a password to confirm the alarm wasindeed a false alarm.

The present invention allows for routing of this two-way voiceconversation using standard Voice-over-IP technologies, after theoriginal alarm signal is received. The invention first receives thestandard alarm signal (i.e. “burglary”), and handles it like any otherstandard alarm signal (such as by calling the police). Then, theinvention receives the alarm signal to “begin two-way voice”. Lastly,according to the instructions of the customer, it will route the two-wayvoice call appropriately.

In one variant, the two-way voice audio is routed to a telephone systemwithin the alarm monitoring central station, to be answered and listenedto by an operator in the facility (who might listen in to try to hear ifa struggle or cry for help is taking place, for example, before callingthe police, or alternately listen to see if the homeowner is present anda false alarm has been triggered).

In another variant, the 2-way voice audio is routed to an externaltelephone line (which may or may not itself be using Voice-over-IP), tobe answered and engaged with by a 3rd party (such as the home owner, ora family member of the home owner).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a VoIP system.

FIG. 2 is a more graphical block diagram of the block diagram of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed block diagram of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a Prior Art VoIP telephone system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Voice-over-IP telephone services are typically offered in the followingfashion as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The blocks in FIGS. 1 and 2 maybe defined as follows. [A] represents Telephone equipment (such as aphone, a fax machine, or a home security system) is plugged into. [B]represents a VoIP modem (Voice-over-IP modem), a (typically) sub-$100device that includes a telephone port and an Ethernet port. The VoIPmodem is plugged via Ethernet into [C] a hub or router in the home oroffice, which is connected to the Internet via Broadband.

Once connected to the Internet, the VoIP modem [B] communicates with [D]a VoIP server or servers, at a remote facility (and usually operated byVoIP companies), which offers telephone services to its customers whoconnect to it using VoIP modems [B].

The VoIP modem then connects to a remote server over the Internet, whilealso offering a dial tone to the telephone device plugged into it.People who have alarm systems in their homes or businesses, and whosetelephone lines are VoIP (instead of standard telephone lines), areconcerned that, if their Broadband Internet connection were to go down,then their alarm system would not be monitored until the BroadbandInternet connection is restored.

NextAlarm™ has invented new technology at point [D], the VoIP Server,which monitors in real-time the connectivity back to each customer'sVoIP modem [B]. If the real-time connection to a customer's VoIP modemis interrupted, then the VoIP servers at [D] immediately take action.Thus, for example, if power is lost to the VoIP modem, or broadbandservice is interrupted, the NextAlarm™ server immediately notices thelack of signal from the consumer's alarm system. In contrast, in a PriorArt dial-up alarm, hours or days may pass before the Central Stationnotices a lack of alarm status calls. Thus, if a burglar attempts tothwart the system by cutting DSL or cable lines, the interruption ofservice itself may trigger an alarm.

In one variant, the action taken can be to generate an alarm signal onbehalf of the customer and report it to the central station, such as the“Lost Central Station Polling” alarm signal, or even the “PanelTampering Alert” alarm signal. In another variant, the action taken canbe to generate an e-Mail message, SMS or Pager message, voice telephonecall, Remote Procedure Call, or other electronic communication, in orderto alert another computer system or alert people that the BroadbandInternet connection at the customer's location has been interrupted. Inanother variant, the server will continue to monitor for the restorationof the communications with the VoIP modem, and should the device comeback online, an “alarm restored” message can be transmitted in the samemanners as previously described.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed block diagram of the invention of FIG. 2.Alarm panel 110 may output a signal to VoIP adapter 120. Note that inthe present invention, a separate VoIP adapter may be provided just forthe alarm panel. VoIP adapters (modems) such as the aforementionedLINKSYS adapter described previously, are relatively inexpensive. Theseadapters can be used in tandem with an existing VoIP adapter used forvoice communications, and thus when the alarm system “calls out” regularphone service may not be interrupted.

Data from this dedicated VoIP adapter 120 is then sent over Internetbroadband link 130 directly to monitoring center 140. Since the data isnot re-converted to analog and dialed back out from a VoIP server to themonitoring center, an entire layer of D/A and A/D is eliminated,improving the robustness of the communications link.

Note that the VoIP adapter may be used for existing analog output alarmsystems with little difficulty in installation, as the consumer merelyplugs the VoIP adapter into the alarm system and Internet connection. Inan alternative embodiment, a customized digital adapter may receivedigital signals from alarm system 110 and output digital signalsdirectly to Internet 130. Moreover, alarm panel 110 may be provided withsuch network capabilities built-in, and thus directly communicate overan Internet link as an Internet appliance. All of these embodiments arewithin the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The separate VoIP link of the present invention allows for yet anotheradvantage. Since the monitoring center 140 is in direct communicationswith alarm panel 110, a user may be able to access alarm panel 110through alarm center 140 via Internet connection 130. Thus, for example,a consumer can check, via website, e-mail, or telephone, whether thealarm system was set, and even set the alarm if someone forgot to setit. Moreover, a consumer can check alarm messages and determine whetherthe Police, Fire, or other emergency services need to be notified.

For example, if the alarm is set off at 10:00 AM and the consumer knowsthis is the time the maid usually arrives, they can check the status ofthe alarm through the Alarm Monitoring Center 140 on-line via acellphone, Blackberry™ or computer, and determine whether the Policeneed to be summoned. The consumer can even disable the alarm if it wasset off accidentally. In another scenario, the consumer can deactivatethe alarm when service personnel (e.g., HVAC repair) are scheduled toarrive (or call from the home) so that repairs or other services can beprovided. When the service personnel leave, the consumer can thenreactivate the alarm remotely. The number of features and uses arereally only limited by the imagination of the consumer and the possiblescenarios.

Another advantage of the present invention is that Internet broadbandconnections that do not support VoIP communications for actual voice canstill be used for alarm monitoring. For example, in many rural areas,consumers may be forced to use satellite uplinks such as Hughes™)DIRECTWAY™ satellite service. The DIRECTWAY™ service provides adequatebandwidth for Internet surfing and the like. However, due to the timelag of the satellite signal, it is not sufficient for actual voicecommunications using VoIP. Experiments with VoIP over satellitebroadband show up to a 2 second delay in voice transmission and alsopoor signal quality for the upstream (uplink) voice signal.

However, the present invention can use VoIP modems to communicate alarmsignals over such limited bandwidth connections. Moreover, the system ofthe present invention can be used with consumers who do not like or wantVoIP telephone service (or for whom VoIP telephone service may not bepossible). Again, since the system of the present invention is using aseparate data path for the alarm signals, no interruption in phoneservice will occur when an alarm is triggered.

Installation of the system of the present invention can be performed bya consumer and may allow a service provider to achieve a “conquest”sale—that is, taking business away from an existing alarm monitoringcompany. If the consumer wants to change alarm companies, oftentimessuch a change is made difficult by the use of proprietary equipment orthe programming of the alarm to dial a particular number when an alarmsignal is detected. As such, if the consumer wants to changealarm-monitoring companies, they have to either have their alarm systemreprogrammed or have a new alarm panel installed. Both may require avisit from a service technician, which is costly and time-consuming.

In the co-pending applications cited previously, from which the presentapplication claims priority and which are incorporated by reference,techniques are described for converting output from an alarm panel usingan aftermarket device to redirect dialing information from an existingalarm monitoring company to a new alarm monitoring company. A simpleredialer module may be inserted between the alarm system and the phoneline, for example.

In the present invention, such a redialer may not be necessary. Thealarm panel telephone output may be connected to a VoIP module, such asthe LINKSYS™ device previously mentioned. The LINKSYS device may besuitably programmed or modified to directly connect to the new alarmcompany servers (e.g., NextAlarm™ servers), which may ignore outgoingdialing instructions from the alarm panel. This apparatus may beinstalled easily by the consumer by connecting the alarm phone line tothe phone connector on the VoIP box, and an Internet connection (e.g.,cat-5 cable or the like) from a cable modem, DSL modem, or the like, tothe appropriate connector on the VoIP box. As a simple “plug and play”operation, the apparatus can installed by the consumer.

In addition, since VoIP boxes are relatively inexpensive and readilyavailable, installation of the system of the present invention is easyto achieve, without the need for special tooling and manufacture ofdedicated re-dialers or the like. Note that the term “VoIP” as appliedto the present invention is somewhat of a misnomer, as the alarm systemis not transmitting actual “voice” signals over the Internet, but ratheranalog audio signals indicative of alarm data.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, digital data froman alarm system may be output directly to the Internet to the alarmmonitoring company server. As in the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the server may continually monitor the alarm system andindicate an alarm or other notice when the connection is severed.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of theimprovement of the present invention. In a first embodiment of theimprovement of the present invention, two-way voice audio is routed to atelephone system within the alarm monitoring central station, to beanswered and listened to by an operator in the facility (who mightlisten in to try to hear if a struggle or cry for help is taking place,for example, before calling the police, or alternately listen to see ifthe homeowner is present and a false alarm has been triggered). In step1, Alarm Panel 51 reports an event (such as burglary) by picking up thephone line, which is actually provided by a Voice-over-IP Modem 52 (nota regular phone line). VoIP modem 52, in step 2 connects over theInternet 53 to VoIP-enabled alarm receiver 54 in step 3. Alarm receiver54 receives the burglary event and reports it to a central stationoperator 55 in step 4. Alarm panel 51 then indicates it may also go intotwo-way voice mode. At this time, the VoIP-enabled alarm receivertransfers the audio call 5 to the same central station operator 55 forlistening in to.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the improvement ofthe present invention. In this embodiment, the two-way voice audio isrouted to an external telephone line (which may or may not itself beusing Voice-over-IP), to be answered and engaged with by a 3rd party(such as the home owner, or a family member of the home owner). In step1, Alarm Panel 61 reports an event (such as burglary) by picking up thephone line, which is actually provided by a Voice-over-IP Modem 62 (nota regular phone line). VoIP modem 62, in step 2 connects over theInternet 63 to the VoIP-enabled alarm receiver 64 in step 3. Alarmreceiver 64 receives the burglary event and reports it to a centralstation operator 65 in step 4. Alarm panel 61 may then indicates it cango into two-way voice mode. At this time, VoIP-enabled alarm receiver 64transfers the audio call 5 from Alarm panel 61 to an external phonenumber indicated by the customer's on-file preferences to customer orother 3rd party 66. This may be their cell phone, or the phone number ofa friend or family member, for example.

Note while both embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 are disclosed in thecontext of two-way voice communication, the present invention may alsobe applied to one-way communication, whereby the alarm operator 55,65 or3^(rd) party 66 may listen in to sounds at site of alarm panel 51,61. Asnoted above, such listening in may be used to confirm whether an actualemergency exists or the like. In addition, the system may be used in aone-way mode of operation to send voice messages to alarm panel 51, 61which may be played on a speaker at the alarm site (e.g., “help is onthe way, the Police/Fire/EMT have been called”). Such one way messagesmay reassure the consumer and/or frighten off potential burglars or thelike.

By routing two-way communications to 3^(rd) parties, such as consumers,the number of false alarm calls to the police and the like may bereduced. For example, if the cleaning staff sets off the alarm, theconsumer can converse with them and determine that the alarm waserroneously tripped. As is often the case, visiting cleaning staff donot understand alarm systems, and/or may be frightened of them, orunsure how to cancel false alarms, or the like, and/or may not havesufficient language skills to communicate with alarm operators 55,65 orpolice or other emergency personnel. Such false alarms may generatefines, waste resources of local police, fire, and other personnel. The3^(rd) party 66 can then tell the alarm operator 65 (via 3-way callingor the like) whether the alarm is a false alarm or not.

While the preferred embodiment and various alternative embodiments ofthe invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it maybe apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form anddetail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopethereof.

1. A method for monitoring an alarm system, comprising the steps of:connecting an analog telephone output from an alarm system at amonitored premises to an analog telephone input of an Internet Voiceover IP (VoIP) module coupled to the Internet, monitoring the alarmsystem at an alarm-monitoring server coupled to the Internet,transmitting from the alarm system to the alarm-monitoring server,through the Internet VoIP module, an alarm signal over the Internet,when an alarm condition is indicated by the alarm system, indicating,from the alarm-monitoring server, that an alarm condition has beenreported by the alarm system, and transmitting one or more of live audiosignals from monitored premises through the alarm system to the alarmmonitoring server and voice signals from the alarm monitoring server tothe alarm system through the Internet Voice over IP (VoIP) module andover the Internet.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the stepof: sending to a third party from the alarm-monitoring server, a signalindicative that an alarm condition has been reported by the alarmsystem.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting audiosignals further comprises the step of: transmitting the audio signalsfrom at least one of the alarm system and the third party to the otherof the alarm system and the third party.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the step of transmitting audio signals further comprises thestep of: transmitting the audio signals from the alarm system to thethird party and receiving audio signals from the third party andtransmitting the audio signals from the third party to the alarm system.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting audio signalsfurther comprises the step of: transmitting at least one of the audiosignals from the alarm system and audio signals from an alarm operatorto the other of the alarm system and the alarm operator.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the step of transmitting audio signals furthercomprises the step of: transmitting the audio signals to the alarmsystem to the alarm operator and receiving audio signals from the alarmoperator and transmitting the audio signals from the alarm operator tothe alarm system.
 7. An alarm monitoring system comprising: at least onealarm system located at a monitored premises, the alarm system having ananalog telephone output; at least one Internet Voice over IP (VoIP)module coupled to the Internet and having an analog telephone inputconnected to the analog telephone output of the at least one alarmsystem; an alarm-monitoring server coupled to the Internet, forreceiving signals from at the least one alarm system coupled to theInternet, the alarm-monitoring server including: an Internet interfacefor receiving signals from the at least one alarm system, a reportingsystem for reporting at least one of an alarm reported by the alarmsystem, and when a connection from the alarm-monitoring server to the atleast one alarm system is broken, and an audio system for transmittingone or more of live audio signals from the monitored premises throughthe at least one alarm system to the alarm monitoring server and voicesignals from the alarm monitoring server to the alarm system through theInternet Voice over IP (VoIP) module and over the Internet.
 8. The alarmmonitoring system of claim 7, wherein the reporting system sends to athird party, from the alarm monitoring server, a signal indicative thatan alarm condition has been reported by the alarm system.
 9. The alarmmonitoring system of claim 8, wherein the audio system transmits liveaudio signals from the monitored premises through the at least one alarmsystem to third party through the alarm monitoring server, and voicesignals from the third party through the alarm monitoring server to thealarm system.
 10. The alarm monitoring system of claim 7, wherein theaudio system transmits live audio signals from the monitored premisesthrough the at least one alarm system to an alarm operator through thealarm monitoring server, and voice signals from the alarm operatorthrough the alarm monitoring server to the alarm system.